mashfandomcom-20200216-history
Blood and Guts (TV series episode)
Blood and Guts was the 13th episode of Season 10 of the CBS-TV series M*A*S*H, also the 231st overall series episode. Written by Lee H. Grant and directed by Charles S. Dubin, it originally aired on January 18, 1982 and was repeated on January 18, 1982. Synopsis When a U.N. war correspondent comes to the 4077th, he charms everyone. But when he doesn't report the war, but instead makes it up, making it sound exciting and heroic, Hawkeye is outraged. Full episode summary The 4077th gets a visit from a special guest - legendary adventure journalist Clayton Kibbee (Gene Evans) who charms everyone with his gregarious nature, easy laugh, and good scotch. He started a blood drive back home, and is writing a story as he follows the blood as it gets used on the front lines. A wounded soldier arrives, and it turns out he will need a transfusion, making him Kibbee's first case. He talks to the young man afterwards, and is disappointed when he hears his story - it's not an exciting tale of courage; rather, he fell off his motorcycle while on a highly secure road. Hawkeye remarks that the only place for the story "is in Popular Pratfalls." Hawkeye is less than thrilled when he learns the nurse he had a date with dumps him to spend the evening with Kibbee, but he is really troubled when he hears Kibbee relay his story to the civilian press train at Munsan: its a tale of adventure and bravery, full of flying enemy bullets - all of it completely made up. Hawkeye confronts Kibbee, who accuses him of making the war sound like a fun lark, an adventure that people would want to be part of. Kibbee dismisses him, saying that while the romance and glory may not exist, he makes it exist for the people back home. Hawkeye tries to convey this to the others, but Kibbee's so charming that no one will listen. B.J. in particular is wrapped up in a banged-up motorcycle that the wounded soldier gave him. Later that night, Kibbee has drinks with Margaret, and he lightly bemoans how relatively boring this war is. Col. Potter then announces that due to a shift in the fighting, there are no casualties expected for at least the next few days. Everyone in the O Club breaks into cheering, but Kibbee is disappointed. He gets drunk, and steals B.J.'s motorcycle. Hawkeye and B.J. hop in a jeep, trying to find him. They discover him a few miles away, hung over and wounded, having crashed the bike and fallen on a glass bottle of booze, leaving him with shards of glass in his behind and bleeding profusely. As Hawkeye tends to Kibbee, B.J. dejectedly examines the sordid remains of his ruined bike. Hawkeye asks Kibbee what kind of story he's going to dream up over this. Weeks later, they read a story by Kibbee in Stars and Stripes where he cops to his drunken misadventure, owning up to his own misguided search for glory. Hawkeye is pleasantly surprised, but then reads Kibbee's button of the piece, where he talks about next week's story. He promises adventure and excitement when he is reunited with his "valiant French comrades in the jungles of Indochina." Quotes * Hawkeye: What kind of story you gonna dream up for this one? I got a real fresh angle for you: it's called "the truth." Why don't you tell 'em some drunken old daredevil stole a motorcycle and fell on his ass while he was out tryin' to get some glory? Hurts, huh? How come I never read about that: the pain? Just once I'd like to see you write about that instead of wrapping everything up in glory. There, that's the last of it. What the hell is so glorious about that, huh? * Kibbee: Yow...! * Hawkeye: I think I'll give you the, uh, morphine now, okay? Trivia The mention of the French fighting in Indochina is not a mistake: it referes to the French/Vietnam war of 1946-1954 Guest cast *Gene Evans as Clayton Kibbee *Brett Cullen as Private Thomas Anthony McKegney *Rita Wilson as Nurse Lacey Category:Season 10 episodes